Those Eyes
by WhimsyDesu
Summary: For her whole life, she's been told that the things she sees- ghosts and monsters- are only hallucinations. The monsters have taken those dear to her ... will a certain Shinigami be able to help her accept the truth? HitsugayaxOC
1. Prologue: New Beginnings

**WELCOME~ This is my first story, you may call me Whimsy!**

**I've actually had some stories on Quizilla, but this is my very first on here! :'3**

**You'll learn pretty quickly that I absolutely ADORE Hitsugaya. I actually cross-played as him at a convention this year- It was AWESOME~**

**Anyway. Enough of my ramblings. I hope you enjoy the story!**

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><p><em>A monstrous, gravelly cackle ripped through the air, as the monster- with its bulging black body and grinning white mask, stared down at the two girls. It was rather ape-like in appearance, with bulging, thick shoulders and arms, with giant fists that helped prop it up. Its lower body was still rippling with muscle, but was smaller than its upper body. <em>

"_...Hotaru?" one of the girls asked, shimmering curls bouncing as she looked at her friend, whom was frozen in place. She couldn't see it._

"_Wh … What is ..." the other girl- Hotaru- murmured in an airy voice, her wide, mismatched eyes focused on the creature before them. The creature laughed. "My … You look pretty tasty, girl!" it cried, and lifted its monstrous fist. Hotaru threw her arms up over her head, screaming in terror. The other girl, sensing Hotaru's panic despite her inability to see the monster, slammed her friend out of the way- only to feel an invisible force slam into her. She gasped in pain and shock, amber eyes flying wide as blood spurted from her mouth. "Annoying!" the monster growled, gripping the other girl in its meaty fist, lifting her limp body into the air before flinging her to the ground. She bounced off the concrete with a sickening crunch and didn't move._

"_AYANO!" Hotaru shrieked, voice cracking in her despair. Her friend stood- no- it was her ghost. The curly-haired girl's body remained on the ground, as another figure of Ayano stood, disoriented. Now, a spirit herself- she could see it. And she screamed, cut off as the monster grabbed her and dropped her into its wide maw._

"NO!" she shrieked, shooting upright. Panting, she breathed raggedly before she realized where she was, and then let out a sigh of relief. It wasn't cold concrete she sat on, but a fluffy full-sized bed, silver-blue sheets, with a navy comforter tangled about her thin legs. Long grey locks of hair were tangled about her shoulders, pale, shaking hands brushing it out of her face as she took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. "Just a dream … It was just a dream … " she repeated to herself, as a man with short-cropped black hair pushed open her door. "Hotaru-chan! Are you alright? I heard you scream … " he said, staring at her with those warm eyes of his. "Otou-san …" Hotaru murmured, staring at him. "Y-yeah. I'm fine. It was only … a nightmare." she said, licking her dry lips. The man nodded, looking relieved before he wished her well and shut the door.

In truth … It wasn't a nightmare at all. It was … a memory- one she tried hard to suppress. Not that anyone believed her when she told them- who would believe that a giant monster-ape had killed her best friend? The girl sighed, freeing herself from the tangle of blankets and crawling out of bed. Everyone said she was imagining things- ever since she was a child. "There's no one there, Hotaru." when she insisted she saw a ghost person that no one else could see. "Ojii-san is dead, Hotaru" when at her grandfather's funeral, she smiled and began to speak as if her were right in front of her- he was, but no one believed her. No one could see him. No one but Hotaru.

Her father- she never knew her mother, the woman had died in childbirth- ignored it, until Hotaru was ten, and the incident with Ayano happened. Before that, he had dismissed it as a child-like imagination- but after that, he took her to a psychiatrist- who diagnosed her with "schizophrenia." It explained all the voices, the "hallucinations" that plagued her. She had medicine- but she hated taking it. She didn't believe the doctors. She _knew _that what she saw was real. She would pretend to take it for her father's sake, and kept the things she saw a secret from anyone. She ignored the ghosts, and ran from the monsters. All was well, for a while- her original home was rather low-key when it came to such things. But, of course, peace never lasted.

"We're moving, Hotaru." the grey-haired girl stared at her father in shock. He had dropped this lovely little bomb on her when she was eating breakfast. "Wh-Wha!" she spluttered, nearly choking on her corn flakes. He told her the details- they'd be moving to a place called "Karakura Town." She protested- but he'd made up his mind. She said goodbye at school- but it wasn't like she had very many close friends to say goodbye to. Most people avoided her, calling her "creepy" and "strange," both because of her appearance- grey hair, mismatched eyes of gold and crimson- and because of her habit of staring into space like she was focused on something- and she was, just something no one else could see.

She was walking home from school on her last day, and heard a crash from her soon to be ex-home. Her father's scream- and a familiar, insane, gravelly cackle. She ran in, terror making her odd eyes wide as she stared at the scene. Her father was lifted into the air, that monster from before- from when she was ten- looming in her house, a huge hole in the side of it. She tried to scream, but no sound came out of her mouth. "Ah! There you are, you tasty snack!" the creature croaked, its ape-like face grinning. It threw her father away, his limp body slamming into the wall with a nauseating thud. It advanced towards her- and she ran. She turned tail and took off, and didn't stop running. She hid somewhere, and eventually the police found her. She kept silent when they tried questioning her- it wasn't like they'd believe the truth if she told them.

Her uncle was contacted, and she was sent to live with him and his wife. She had no more family here- and she nearly cried when they told her where she'd be going- Karakura Town.

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><p><strong>Okay, I know- no Hitsugaya yet! But trust me, he'll be here. This was only the prologue, after all! Be patient~<strong>

**Anyway, hope you liked it! Please Rate and Review, it helps my self-confidence that this was actually a decent story! ;3**

**See you next time!**

**-Whimsy**


	2. Chapter I: Stranger

**Welcome back! This is the next part of ****Fireflies in the Ice****, which you've (hopefully) been looking forward to! **

**I won't ramble your eyes out this time, so I'll get right to the point – please enjoy this next installment of ****Fireflies in the Ice****!**

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><p>Dressed in a white, button-down top, with a pale yellow, sleeveless v-neck sweater pulled over it, and a pale grey skirt beneath, Hotaru found herself getting dressed in her new school's uniform. She pulled on the long black socks, and fastened a red bow around her neck. She looked at herself in the mirror, her height of 4'2'' and the slightly-too-big uniform making her thin frame seem even smaller. Brushing her thigh-length, messy grey hair, the girl sighed. Today was her first day, and … Well, to be honest, she wasn't quite looking forward to it. She had moved into her uncle's home here a few days ago, and she still shuddered every time she thought of what kind of tragedy she'd left behind.<p>

"Chibi-chaan~" a sing-song voice called, as a tall male pushed open her door. "Aren't you ready yet?" he complained. His skin was nicely tanned, with chocolate-brown hair that flopped messily in his eyes- a trait that matched her own, one that ran on her father's side of the family- unmanageable, messy, thick hair. At least on a guy it looked nice. Hotaru's grey locks just looked like someone took a frayed grey cotton ball and glued it sloppily to her skull. His warm honey-colored eyes stared down at her, and he chuckled. "Damn, you look tiny in that uniform!" he laughed. Hotaru glared at him, giving up on her hair and just brushing it behind her narrow shoulders. Turning, she faced her cousin with her hands on her hips. "Urusai, baka na!" she growled, pushing past him. He continued to laugh good-naturedly, but his female cousin frowned deeply. He had graduated high school already, but hadn't gone to a university- or, from what Hotaru understood, even considered one. He was somewhat of a bum, and honestly, Hotaru was rather surprised for him to be up so early. "Akio-kun, what are you doing up, anyway?" she asked begrudgingly as she made her way down the hall. He fell into step with the smaller girl, grinning down at her.

"Kaa-chan and Tou-san had to work. I'm gonna take you to school~" he said cheerfully. The girl sighed, frowning. He laughed at her expression, ruffling her hair. "Oh, c'mon, it isn't that bad, your big cousin taking you to school!" he went on merrily, and began to talk about all his experiences at Karakura 1st High School. She tuned him out, grabbing a cereal bar from the pantry and eating it while she made sure all her belongings were together. School bag? Check. Pens? Check. Notebook? Check. She finished eating and scooped up her bag, pulling her shoes on as she followed her cousin out the door. Akio was tall and broad-shouldered- the type of guy that most girls would swoon over. Hotaru admitted that he was somewhat attractive- but she hated having to crane her neck to look at him. She scoffed to herself, sitting next to him as he drove her to her new high school. She stared out the window, odd eyes half-lidded as she watched the unfamiliar scenery go by. When they arrived, she thanked Akio before grabbing her bag and hopping out of the car, sighing before she made her way into the building. Pausing near the entryway, she dug in her bag, pulling out the crumpled schedule. "Let's see … Class 3-F …" she grumbled, making a face as she looked up. Where the hell was that? Looking annoyed, she glared at the schedule, as if it would tell her where the classroom was.

"Are you new?" a female voice asked, and Hotaru found herself with a pair of unnecessarily large breasts just about head-level. She blinked, then glanced up to find the owner of the pair of … assets to be a smiling, strawberry blonde woman with ash-blue eyes. "Oh wow~ Your eyes! Are those contacts?" she asked suddenly, grabbing Hotaru's face in both hands and lifting the small girl up, as if to get a better look. "Uh-" Hotaru began, but was cut off by an annoyed-sounding, masculine voice.

"Put her down, Matsumoto." the voice commanded. The woman pouted, looking behind her. "But Taiichoo~!" she complained. _Taicho? What the hell kind of name is that?_ Hotaru thought, as the woman called Matsumoto set her down. The grey-haired girl irritably rubbed her cheeks, trying to get some feeling back into them. Matsumoto and "Taicho" were arguing now, the woman's complaints being responded to with sharp, biting remarks. Curious, Hotaru peered around Matsumoto, to find that "Taicho" was hardly taller than Hotaru herself, with spiked white hair and sharp, teal eyes. _Damn. He sticks out more than I do._ Hotaru thought, blinking her mismatched eyes at him. He was handsome, she gave him that, with a scowl on his face that matched the annoyed tone he was using with the tall woman. Almost like he was in charge of her. Then again, she _had _called him "Taicho," whatever that was about. A grey eyebrow cocked, and she frowned as she attempted to imagine this kid in charge of anyone.

"... What?" he said suddenly, and she jumped, blinking at him. He was giving her a strange look, and she realized she'd been staring at him as she peered around the buxom woman. "A-ah … Nothing." she said, looking away and twirling a strand of grey hair around her finger. She could feel his striking eyes on her, and she cleared her throat, feeling uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze. Maybe it wasn't so farfetched to think he was in charge someplace. "W-well … I was thinking that it was strange to see someone that sticks out more than I do." Hotaru admitted, still averting her gaze. He gave an annoyed "tch" sound, and Matsumoto laughed. He glowered at her, and she tried to quell her laughter, but failed miserably. Instead, she turned back to Hotaru, smiling in a friendly manner. "Anyway. You're new, right? I would remember seeing someone like you before, ne?" on the last word she glanced at her white-haired companion, who simply huffed irritably and shrugged. Hotaru nodded, glancing down at the schedule that was still in her hand- or, was, until Matsumoto snatched it from her fingers. "Ah!" the woman squealed, grinning wider. "Looks like you're in our class! Isn't that fun, Taicho?" she chirruped, and Hotaru blinked. The boy rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands in his pockets before he just started walking. "Taiichoo!" Matsumoto whined. "Wait for us!" with that, she grabbed Hotaru by the arm and dragged her along after her as she trotted after the white-haired boy.

They finally arrived at a classroom, Matsumoto giving Hotaru a cheery wave before going to sit near the back of the room with "Taicho." Hotaru was left near the front, near the teacher's desk. The teacher- a dark-haired woman with her hair in a low ponytail, glanced at Hotaru and smiled. "Class!" she called in a loud voice, but she either wasn't heard or the class ignored her, for everyone just kept chattering. "HEY. SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU IDIOTS!" she snapped, slamming her palms on her desk. The students quieted, and she smiled serenely. "As I was saying, we have a new student here!" she gestured at Hotaru, who bowed her head quickly and stared at the sea of unfamiliar faces- unless you counted those of Matsumoto and "Taicho." Standing as straight as she could to try and add to her pathetic height, she introduced herself. "Yukimura Hotaru." she said, trying to ignore the whispers. _"Is she seriously a third year? I wouldn't even believe she was a first year!" "Woah, look at her eyes!" "Her eyes? What about her hair? Did she dye it?" _they seemed to swirl around her. Hotaru frowned, at the comments, her brow furrowing. She blinked, as she realized the teacher was talking to her. "Riight. Yukimura-san! You can go sit … By Hitsugaya-kun, in the back there. Near the window." she pointed, and Hotaru followed her finger to the white haired boy from earlier, "Taicho." So, his name was Hitsugaya, then? She obediently went and sat, stealing a glance at Hitsugaya. She looked away as soon as his turquoise optics shifted to glance at her, but even as she stared at the board, she could feel his eyes on her. She peered at him out of the corner of her eye. He was doing the same, a deep frown pulling at the corners of his mouth, his eyebrows trained down in a scowl. He seemed deep in thought.

"... What is it?" she whispered, giving him a quizzical look. He didn't answer, but he stopped staring at her, scowl still evident on his face. Hotaru rolled her eyes, facing back to the front. She slowly tuned out of the lecture, eyes becoming half-lidded as she stared ahead. Class was as boring here as it was back home. This was going to go on for-freaking-ever.

Finally, the bell rang, and Hotaru stood to leave. "Yukimura." Hitsugaya said suddenly. Hotaru stopped mid-step, paused, and turned to face him. "What is it, Hitsugaya-san?" she asked, raising a brow. He stared at her, still scowling- seriously, who could scowl that long without it hurting their face? Maybe he did it too much and his face was stuck that way. Like her father always used to tell her- "Don't make faces like that, Hotaru! Your face will freeze like that." She waited for Hitsugaya to say something, but he finally sighed. "Nothing." he said, then pushed past her and walked out. Hotaru blinked, totally thrown. _What was that all about?_ She thought, confusion evident on her face. She sighed and shrugged, then left the classroom. Akio picked her up and drove her home, and all was peaceful. She didn't see Hitsugaya or Matsumoto on her way out, but it wasn't like she looked very hard. Just stared out the window and looked to see if she could spot the strawberry-blonde with her large breasts, or that short, spiky white head of hair.

A few hours later, she was finishing up homework when her uncle knocked on the door. "Hotaru-chan, can you go to the store for me? Its down the street and around the corner." he gestured with his thumb, and the grey-haired girl nodded. "Sure." she agreed, taking the money and the list he held out to her and heading out the door. She walked down the street, glancing around. The night was cool, with a slight breeze that fluttered through her hair. Hotaru sighed, staring at the unfamiliar buildings, sidewalk, everything. She found the store she assumed her uncle had meant, slipping inside. Just a few bottles of soda, and some paper towels- that was it. She checked out and left the store, pausing for a moment. It was cooler than it had been when she entered the store, but that wasn't why she stopped. A feeling of dread knotted her stomach- there was only one thing that made her feel like this … She started walking, at a quicker pace than before. She glanced nervously over her shoulder, watching for a looming shadow with a white face. Those monsters were here as well? She swallowed, brow furrowing.

A low rumbling resounded about the area, causing the ground to vibrate beneath her feet. She froze- she told her limbs to move, but that only succeeded in making her joints freeze up even more, if anything at all. The rumbling grew louder, and then concrete exploded to her right. She screamed, throwing her arms over her head. She peeked between her arms, finding herself face-to-face with a gigantic, looming snake- its body was black, disappearing into a hole it had made in the street, its white face in a frightening grin. "Looks like I found a yummy snack~" it hissed, its voice rough and oddly high-pitched, yet somehow still guttural. Suddenly, she could move again. She flung one of the bags of soda at the monster, hitting it square in the face. It hissed furiously, and Hotaru was already running away. Her grey hair was streaming behind her as she ran away from where her uncle's house was. She had no clue where she was going, she was just sprinting as fast as she could. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her arms pumped heavily at her sides. She could hear it behind her, hissing in rage.

Then she tripped.

The sidewalk slammed into her, knocking the air out of her lungs. Shock froze her for a moment- but it was a moment too long. The creature was upon her- its drool landing near her head. She felt terror rip through her- she couldn't even scream. Hotaru squeezed her eyes shut, praying for it to just kill her already.

There was a sound of metal hitting flesh- but she felt nothing. She didn't dare open her eyes, until something picked her up. It was going to just play with her until she stopped moving and begged for death, wasn't it. Her limbs unfroze, but panicked adrenaline flooded her body. "N-_NO!" _ she shrilled, struggling violently against whatever held her. "Would you stop that? Calm down!" an annoyed voice said, directly behind her. She peered over her shoulder, to find a familiar head of white hair, those same turquoise eyes, narrowed in a scowl. "H-Hitsugaya-san?" Hotaru squeaked, but was ignored. He set her down on the roof of an unfamiliar building. "Stay here." he commanded, before leaping at the monster. It was bleeding- had he attacked it? There was a bloodied sword in his hand … and what was he wearing? Hotaru looked on in shock, dropping to her knees as she watched him slay the monster. She blinked slowly, and he was in front of her again. "You alright?" he asked, crouching in front of her. She nodded uncertainly, still too shocked to speak. He eyed her for a moment, then sighed. "Be more careful." he said, picking her up again and jumping back down from the rooftop. He released her and she stumbled slightly, before catching herself. He stared at her, as if searching her expression for something. "You don't seem surprised that it attacked you." he commented, putting away his sword. She blinked, then shook her head. "No, I- Hold on … You can _see _ it?" she asked, then internally berated herself for asking such a stupid question. He rolled his eyes. "Obviously." he said, sounding irritated.

Hotaru ignored his irritation, trying to comprehend all this. "So … It isn't just me …" she murmured, raking through her bangs in quick motions. She wasn't sure whether to be more shocked or relieved. He stared at her, trying to read her expression. What did she mean 'it isn't just me?' Suddenly she shook her head, frowning. "Its … Real?" she asked quietly, an unreadable emotion in her mismatched eyes. Hitsugaya gave her a weird look, cocking a single white brow. "Obviously." he repeated. What was _with_ this girl?

At that statement, she felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes, and she once again fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands. "I … I … I'm not crazy …" she mumbled, mostly to herself, it seemed. "Crazy?" Hitsugaya repeated, now slightly confused. "O-Oi, what're you crying for?" he questioned, feeling awkward. She sat there for a bit longer, before wiping at her eyes, then looking up at him. "I just … Its all real … I knew it." she murmured, though Hitsugaya could pick up on relief in her strangely colored eyes. Suddenly she stood, bowing slightly to him. "Thanks for saving me, Hitsugaya-san …" She murmured, then took off after a slight wave. "Oi! Wait a minute!" he yelled after her, but she was either out of earshot or ignored him.

"You got it, Taicho?" Matsumoto asked, landing near him. He nodded, looking in the direction Hotaru had disappeared. What a weird girl. He felt curious, despite his annoyance at the fact that she'd run off. Who in their right mind would be _relieved _to hear that monsters that _ate people _were real? Maybe she _was _crazy. He sighed, turning away. "Let's go, Matsumoto." he said, and began to walk off. "Huh? Wasn't it after someone, Taicho? Taichoo!" she called after him, hurrying to catch up. "Don't ignore mee~"

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><p><strong>There you have it! I hope you liked this chapter as well! See, I told you, Hitsugaya would appear soon! This gets better, I promise- don't worry! I know its kinda slow now, but just you wait~ <strong>

**Please send me some reviews, I'd really really appreciate it! Gets my motivation up! :'3**

**For those of you that read the story, even if you don't review or favorite it, thank you so much! I love you guys for taking the time to even look at this, really! **

**Alright, until next time! **

**-Whimsy**


	3. Chapter II: Life of Lies

**WOO~ Wow, Chapter Two already! I hope you guys are enjoying reading this as much as I am writing it! ;3**

**Thanks to redsnow4, my first reviewer! I send my love! **

**Well, on with the story!**

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><p>Hotaru was exhausted. She'd gone back to the store to replace the groceries she's thrown at that monster the night before, then, upon getting back to her uncle's house, had found it impossible to fall to sleep. Thus, she had been up all night, thinking about what had gone one. What before had been relief was now blind terror. Those monsters … Would they ever leave her alone? Even if she hadn't quite believed it, she could tell herself "I imagined it" if something bad happened. Maybe the deaths of Ayano and her father were "mysterious accidents" like the police claimed they were. But now … Now she had been told it was real. But did she trust Hitsugaya? She'd hardly known him a day. All she knew was that he had saved her life … But why? Why did he? Her exhausted mind tried to wrap its way around these questions, as she walked, almost zombie-like into the school, stifling a yawn. Her grey locks were messier than normal, dark bags stood out beneath her half-lidded eyes.<p>

"Yukimura-chan!" came that familiar, feminine voice. And suddenly, those familiar breasts were smashed against her face, as Hotaru was drawn into a strangling, suffocating hug. "Mmmmphmmm! Hmmmph hnng!" she attempted to speak, but found her voice muffled. She struggled, but to no avail, until that other too-familiar voice appeared. "Matsumoto, put her down." Gee, deja vu, much? Hotaru sucked in air greedily when she was finally released, looking up at an apologetic looking Matsumoto and an (unsurprisingly) annoyed looking Hitsugaya. "... Morning." Hotaru greeted, rubbing the back of her neck and stifling another yawn. She could feel Hitsugaya's eyes on her, and shifted uncomfortably. Seriously, what was _with _him and staring at her? "... What?" she asked shortly, glancing at him. His eyes narrowed and he scoffed. "Meet us on the roof at lunch. We need to talk to you." he said- no, really, _ordered_ her. Then, he was gone, stalking down the hall in his proud little way. Seriously, he was starting to piss her off. If there was one thing Hotaru hated, it was arrogant little brats. She made a face as she looked after him, then glanced up at Matsumoto. The woman grinned, ruffling Hotaru's already messy hair. "Come on, we'll be late!" she urged, grabbing Hotaru by the hand and dragging her through the hallway.

Hours passed, and it was lunch time. Part of Hotaru wanted to ditch the meeting on the roof just to piss that arrogant little Hitsugaya off- but part of her was also unbearably curious. Was it about last night? Eventually, she ended up going, opening the door onto the roof and peering out. Hitsugaya was sitting hear the edge, messing with his phone, while Matsumoto sat near him, happily eating from a bento. She was half-tempted to turn back now, but the white-haired boy looked up with those striking aqua eyes of his- "Are you going to stand there all day?" he asked, and she found herself compelled to creep out and sit near the two of them- she almost couldn't refuse those eyes. She glanced away when they made eye contact again, scowling. "What did you want with me?" she asked, rubbing the back of her neck- a nervous habit when she felt uncomfortable.

"You know what." he retorted. His attention was again on his phone, and she scowled at him now. "About last night?" she asked, and he gave a short nod. The girl sighed, making a face. "I-" she began, when he suddenly interrupted. He stood, folding his arms across his chest in a very you'd-better-listen-because-I'm-gonna-say-this-only-once kind of way. "Have you been attacked by Hollow before last night?" he asked sharply, his aqua eyes boring into me. Holow? What the hell was that?

"... Hollow?" she repeated dumbly, and he gave an irritated sigh. "From last night! The creature in the mask?" he said, as if speaking to someone that was extremely unintelligent. Hotaru scowled. "How was _I _supposed to know what those things were?" she snapped, but he ignored her retort. "Well, have you?" he asked, looking annoyed. She glared at him for a minute, then scoffed.

"Yeah … Back where I came from. Typically I got away." she said shortly. He studied her for a moment, then sighed, and sat again, resting his chin in his hand. "... Typically?" he repeated, and she winced, falling silent and glaring at the ground. He waited, but when it became apparent that she wasn't going to explain, he gave an exasperated sigh and changed the question. "How many?" she shrugged, refusing to lift her gaze from the cool grey of the rooftop. He grunted in irritation, then sighed. "To be expected." he commented. That made her look up, confusion written on her features.

"You have no clue how to control your reiatsu, do you?" he asked, though Hotaru could guess he already knew the answer from the dumbfounded look on her face. Damn, she hated feeling stupid- especially because of _this _guy. "You'll need to learn, unless you _want _them to keep coming after you." he added the last part as he recalled how relieved she'd seemed the night before when she was mumbling about the fact that they were "real." She scowled for a moment. "Look, I don't even know you! Don't talk down to me." she said bitingly. "You never even introduced yourself, and you go around calling me 'Yukimura! Yukimura!' show some respect!" she went on, odd eyes narrowed in his direction. Huffing, she stood so she was facing him, hating that she had to look up slightly to look him in the eye. He paused, as if thinking, then sighed. "Hitsugaya Toshiro." he commented, gesturing to himself, then pointed at Matsumoto. "That's Matsumoto Rangiku. Happy now?" he said, and she got the feeling he was mocking her. She bristled.

"Taicho, we didn't call her here to fight with her." Matsumoto cautioned, speaking up for the first time. Hitsugaya glanced at her and scoffed in an angry manner, narrowing his eyes at Hotaru.

"Are you going to listen now? I don't have time waste arguing with you." he said grumpily before taking a seat and staring up at her, as if expecting her to do the same. Hotaru found herself again caught by those beautiful teal eyes, and frowned before sitting down, gesturing for him to continue while avoiding those eyes. She really couldn't refuse to do what he asked when he caught her in that gaze of his. "Anyway, as I was saying, the Hollow will keep coming after you if you don't learn to control your reiatsu better. Your abilities." he clarified quickly, before she could even give him an uncomprehending look. But she was hardly looking at him anyway. Just rubbing her neck and scowling at nothing. "If that keeps up, your family could get hurt as well-" he paused as her scowl flickered to a wince, pain shrouding those dark eyes for an instant before they returned to their irritated gleam. He blinked at her, unsure of what to say. What could he? He cleared his throat, his face returning to its former scowl. "Soon it might not be only Hollow after you." he commented, his expression darkening. She glanced at him then, and he could swear her saw fear glitter in those odd eyes of hers before she covered it up with annoyance again.

"Why did you save me?" she asked suddenly, her expression darkly serious. Hitsugaya blinked, then shook his head.

"Its my job." he answered simply. "As Shinigami, Matsumoto and I are supposed to protect humans like you, as well as pluses- normal spirits." he explained, lifting an eyebrow.

"There are more of you?" she asked, her voice sounded tight. Slowly, he nodded, opening his mouth to ask her why she was asking these odd questions when suddenly, she backhanded him. His shocked expression was turned to face Matsumoto, who looked equally surprised. His face stung, and he rounded on her. "What was-" he started, but she cut him off.

"How many?" she snapped. "How many of you are there?" He answered that there were many- he didn't know a specific number. She didn't seem to like that answer at all, her eyes were trained downward, her sloppy mass of hair hiding her face. She was shaking visibly. "That many, and not one could help Ayano? Could help Tou-san! And you say its your _job _to save people _like me_?" she cried, her voice rising with each word. "That's _bullshit_! If that were true, then … then Ayano … then Tou-san … Wouldn't they be alive now?" she went on, anger making her voice rough. "If its your job then why did no one save them?" she was yelling now, but suddenly her voice quieted. "Why didn't anyone save them … ?" she asked, desperation to know overriding her fury for a moment. Hitsugaya didn't know what to say. He blinked at her in surprise, then frowned.

"I … don't know." he answered, watching for her reaction in case she tried to slap him again. She didn't, but instead fell to her knees, burying her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook, her breath jumpy. "Yukimura … " he began, though he had no clue what to say.

"Shut up! Shinigami … How useless! They can't even save two lives ..." she murmured, hiccuping. He frowned.

"Those losses were unfortunate, but you can't expect us to be there every time-" he attempted, but was again interrupted.

"Just shut up!" she sobbed, hiding her face. Matsumoto pushed between the two of them now, kneeling next to Yukimura and stroking her hair in a comforting maner.

"Now, now. I'm sure they wouldn't want you to act this way …" she said gently, and Hotaru shook her head violently.

"No! Leave me alone!" she snapped, pushing Matsumoto's hand away. She curled into a tighter ball, and stayed that way, until her choked sobs subsided. She wiped at her reddened eyes, looking embarrassed to have cried in front of them. Without a word, she stood, and moved to leave.

"Yukimura." Hitsugaya stopped her. She paused, but didn't look back at him or Matsumoto. "We still need to discuss-" he was cut off as the lunch bell rang, signaling the fact that it was time to head back to class. Hotaru took this as an excuse to take off, slipping away before Hitsugaya could say another word. "Tch." he grunted, scowling. Matsumoto came to stand near him then, glancing down at him.

"She'll be hard to convince." she commented quietly. Hitsugaya said nothing, only looked at the door leading to and from the rooftop that Hotaru had disappeared through.

"... Yeah."

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><p><strong>Okay, that was the second chapter! :'3 Hope you liked it! <strong>

**Also, just so you guys know, I'll probably start having Toshiro and Rangiku referred to by their first names after Hotaru refers to them that way, so don't fret!**

**Also, updates probably won't be nearly this quick in order in the future. ;3 Tonight will probably be a special case, kay? **

**Lots of love!**

**-Whimsy**


	4. Chapter III: Golden Light

**So seriously. Am I the only one seriously freaked out by Tsukishima? (this is directed at those of you keeping up with the current Bleach chapters, as in the scanlations)**

**I'm not gonna give anything away since that would be a little too spoilerific, but the dude scares the hell out of me.**

**I WANNA SEE THE SOUL SOCIETY PEOPLE, TOO ;A; ESPECIALLY TOSHIRO~ 3**

**Anyway. On with the story.**

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><p>"Yukimura."<p>

His deep voice stopped her before she left the classroom, and she stopped, stiffening. "Leave me alone." she said sharply, an audible stiffness in her tone. She didn't want to deal with this. She felt … angry. Her grip on her bag tightened until her knuckles turned white, her jaw clenching. She wanted him to go away. She wanted nothing to do with the Shinigami- who apparently failed in their job and left Ayano and her father to die at the hands of those monsters- the Hollow. She didn't have any faith in them- how was she supposed to trust them, when obviously they weren't very good at what they were supposed to do?

"You're angry, I can tell." Hitsugaya said, suddenly in front of her, sharp aqua eyes boring into hers. He frowned, but not in a scowl this time. "I can understand that, but if you don't learn to control your reiatsu, it could get worse." he went on, stopping again when she winced at the idea of it getting _worse._ "While its our job to defend people from the Hollow, we can't be everywhere. No matter how many of us there are." he attempted. They had started walking now, and she still refused to meet his eyes. He found himself somewhat annoyed by that fact, but bit back the scathing remarks that were on the tip of his tongue. He was here to convince her, not antagonize her. "Look. Uncontrolled reiatsu is dangerous. Not just to you, but to the people around you. Understand?" she was silent, and he almost thought she was ignoring him. After a long pause, she gave a swift nod, but still didn't meet his eyes. He sighed in what could be described as relief. "Good, then. Come on." she looked up then, blinking in confusion as he started walking off, then paused and turned back, waiting for her to follow. "We're starting today. Call who you need to on the way." he explained with a roll of those aqua eyes. She nodded again after a pause, then slowly followed him. They walked in silence, a rather awkward feeling. Very so often, she stole glances at him, but quickly looked away when his teal optics shifted towards her again. The silence that stretched between them was far from comfortable- if anything, it made things more tense. She didn't want to be there- he could tell. Her bitterness was so heavy around her that it was almost suffocating.

"We're here." he said, with a somewhat relieved sigh. In front of them stood the rough-looking little building called the Urahara Shoten. It didn't look like much- more like one of those little odd trinket shops that you went to on vacation when you realized you had forgotten to bury a souvenir for a friend back home and had almost no money left to spend. Hotaru raised her eyebrows, turning to give Hitsugaya a questioning look, only to find that he was already walking into the building. With a sigh, she followed him. It looked just about as cheap on the inside as it did out. Hotaru made a face, looking around. She lifted a hand to touch a strange, unrecognizable object on a shelf, but stopped when Hitsugaya spoke. "I wouldn't touch anything in here if I were you." he commented, giving the object that had attracted her attention a suspicious glance. "Urahara-jii-san, are you here?" he called then, and Hotaru blinked, staring at him. What were they here for, anyway?

"Aaah, Hitsugaya-taicho~ To what do I owe this visit?" a man said merrily as he came out from the back of the shop. He had messy-looking blonde hair, his hand on a green and white striped hat. In his hand was a thin cane, and he was dressed in traditional Japanese garb. He grinned in a friendly manner at Hotaru and Hitsugaya, the latter looking annoyed- like usual- and the former blinking in confusion.

"I need to borrow your training area. Its probably the safest place for this." he jerked is thumb at Hotaru on the last word, and she scowled at him. She was, like usual, ignored, and then she huffed moodily, studying Urahara.

"Well~ Who might you be, miss?" Urahara asked, extending a hand to Hotaru. She stared at his offered hand a moment before shaking it, staring up at him. "Yukimura Hotaru …" she said, nodding her head. He smiled, patting her head. "Urahara Kisuke, pleased to meet you, Hotaru-chan~" he went on, letting go of her hand and turning to face the interior of his store. "I welcome you to the Urahara Shoten, feel free to ask for anything you need~" and with that, he disappeared into the shop again, leaving a bewildered Hotaru staring after him. She felt Hitsugaya's gaze on her and she glanced at him, though avoided his eyes.

"Come on then." he sighed after a pause, leading her deeper into the store and down a staircase that appeared when he lifted a panel in the floor. He descended, with hardly a glance to see if she was following. The grey-haired girl hesitated for a moment before slipping into the secret basement- no, basement was the wrong word for it. Her mismatched eyes widened as she looked at the rocky expanse that was hidden beneath the shoddy little building above their heads. Slowly she blinked, stealing a glance at Hitsugaya. He seemed unfazed, merely pulling what looked like a candy dispenser out of his pocket and popping some kind of round candy into his mouth. In a flash, there were two of him- one in the school uniform, one in the strange black outfit he'd been wearing when he saved her. She blinked, trying to take this all in. Strange underground landscapes, weird failure-Shinigami, annoyingly arrogant white-haired "taicho," and now there were _two _of him. The black-clad Hitsugaya folded his arms inside his sleeves, scowling at the one in the school uniform.

"This area has a fifteen percent chance-" the school-uniform wearing Hitsugaya started, looking around with a rather … uncharacteristically stupid look. "Go upstairs, King." Hitsugaya grunted irritably. "...of being safe." 'King' finished, making a pouting face at Hitsugaya, who only looked even more annoyed.

"... Alright~" King finally said. He turned to go, stopping in front of Hotaru. "Be careful, Hotaru-san, ne?" he said with a smile, ruffling her hair. She blinked at him. It was … weird. To see Hitsugaya's face with that sort of dopey smile.

"King!" Hitsugaya snapped, looking frustrated. King grinned at him and laughed slightly. "Ah~ Toshiro-san wants time alone with Hotaru-san, ne?" he chuckled before waving and scurrying up the stairs. "Urusai!" Hitsugaya snapped after him, scowling. When King was gone, Hitsugaya scoffed, scowling at the ground in front of him. Hotaru stared at him, blinking. She felt … totally lost. He seemed to feel her gaze, and looked up, training his scowl on her. She shifted back slightly, taken aback by his expression. "That was a gikon - an artificial soul. We have to use them. Don't think anything of it." he growled, almost sounding defensive. Was he … embarrassed? Hotaru could have laughed right there. "Damn that Kusajishi-fukutaicho ..." he was grumbling under his breath, making an irritated face. He sighed huffily, then turned to her again, slightly calmer. "Let's start, then." he said, leading her deeper into the 'training grounds.'

When they reached the center, he turned to face her. "Concentrate on focusing your reiatsu." he commanded. At the girl's promptly confused expression, he sighed. "Its like meditating. It should feel like a force of energy within you." he explained, actually seeming rather patient for once. She stared at him and tried to do as he says, trying to focus on what felt like an 'energy' inside her. She thought she found it- but as soon as she tried to latch onto it, the ground beneath her crumbled. Her concentration shattered as she found herself sprawled in a small crater, looking up at a frustrated Hitsugaya. "Idiot, I said focus it, not let it run even _more _wild. Are you a moron?" he grunted. Glaring at him, Hotaru got herself comfortable in the little hole, trying again. Another crash, and she could hear Hitsugaya snapping at her. It continued on like that, both of them growing more and more frustrated.

Finally, footsteps crunched on the earth of the underground landscape, and Hotaru looked up to see Urahara. "How goes it, you two?" he greeted, waving a white fan in front of his face.

"How do you _think?_" Hitsugaya growled, his patience running out a long time ago. Urahara gave a slight laugh, only succeeding in enraging Hitsugaya further.

"I may have a solution …" Urahara commented, smiling behind the paper fan. Both Hitsugaya and Hotaru looked up curiously, but it was Hitsugaya who spoke first. "... What is it?" his voice was tinged with curiosity- but also suspicion. Hotaru sensed that he didn't fully trust this Urahara person … So why had he brought her here? Urahara snapped his fan shut, then beckoned the pair of them with it, striding towards the stairs. Hotaru scrambled out of the little crater she was in, followign behind Hitsugaya as he huffed after Urahara, not bothering to spare her a backwards glance.

They arrived in the shop, and Urahara called deeper in, leaning on the counter. "Oh, Ururu! Bring me 'that,' would you?" he called. A high-pitched voice responded "Hai!" and shuffling was heard, before a small girl with black hair emerged. Her hair was tied into twin pigtails, with two bangs falling in between her large eyes. "Here it is." she said, offering a small box to Urahara. He took it, patting her head before turning to Hitsugaya and Hotaru. Ururu bowed to them before she scurried out of the room, presumably back to whatever she'd been doing before. Urahara opened the box, revealing a silver chain with a clear charm hanging from it. "Here, this should help control that reiatsu of yours~" he said cheerily, taking it and moving towards Hotaru.

"Wait a minute, Urahara-jii-san. What's the catch?" Hitsugaya asked, placing himself in between the grey-haired girl and the smiling man. Urahara chuckled. "Well, it will stabilize her reiatsu, that's what you wanted, no?" he laughed, but cleared his throat when Hitsugaya's eyes narrowed in a serious 'I'm waiting.' expression. "Well, it really absorbs excess reiatsu that's leaking. It will do the same as suppressing it, but it can take a lot more than a usual seal. However ..." he paused, glancing between the two of them. Hotaru's expression, her brows trained downward In a scowl as she tried to comprehend all this. Hitsugaya's waiting, irritated expression. The blonde man sighed, pointing to the clear bangle on the end. "However, with her amount of reiatsu, it might be unstable if removed. I'd advise against it." he gave an affirmative nod. "It wouldn't be pleasant if all that dense reiatsu were suddenly released, if you know what I mean." he said, talking more to Hitsugaya than Hotaru. The white-haired boy grunted, then turned to look at Hotaru over his shoulder. "That alright with you?" he asked, his former irritation giving the question a sharp edge, though he seemed to be at least _tryin_ not to sound like a jerk. Hotaru nodded slowly, meeting thos striking aquamarine eyes for a moment before quickly tearing her gaze away. What was it about those eyes that held her attention so much? She couldn't get them out of her head. She could still feel his eyes on her. "Still not speaking to me." he commented suddenly, and she looked up in surprise. Still silent. He scowled, looking frustrated. "You haven't said a word since lunch." he continued, and she only looked away, frowning. "Tch … Whatever. I'm heading home. King!" he grunted, the school-uniform wearing Hitsugaya appearing from the back. "There's a-" it began, before it was cut off as Hitsugaya donned an odd sort of glove and slammed his palm into its midsection. The little candy from before popped out, and the black-clad Hitsugaya and the now limp frame of what used to be King merged once more. Without another word, Hitsugaya left, slamming the door on his way out. Hotaru looked after him, just as confused as she was before. Shaking it off with a quick shake of her head, she turned back to Urahara.

"This … Will get those … Hollow to leave me alone, right?" she asked, her brow furrowing. Urahara nodded, holding it out to her. She took it from him, slowly fastening it around her neck. There was a flash, and the previously clear gem was not colored a glittering gold, shimmering and giving off a pulsating light. She lifted it in her pale hand, the golden shimmers giving it an oddly ghostly appearance.

"Remember, don't take that charm off. It'll lead to something … nasty." Urahara advised. She nodded, then said her goodbyes, trotting out the door. Slowly, she made her way home, fumbling with the glittering gold charm around her neck. She felt almost … uneasy. And she didn't like it. Last time she'd been uneasy … those Hollow things had attacked. She almost didn't want to go home. What if … It hurt her uncle, her aunt, Akio? She stopped walking quite suddenly, her fist wrapping around the charm. Giving a quick shake of her head, she started walking again, though with somewhat more tension than before. Her mismatched eyes darted side to side, as if expecting a building to explode from either side of her.

She licked her lips nervously, brows drawn downward in a scowl.

Then …

_CRASH!_

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><p><strong>Oho, cliffhanger, no?<strong>

**I'm going to apologize in advance- I tend to do that a lot. ;3 Gets you coming back for more, huh?**

**Please send me some reviews, criticisms and suggestions are always welcome!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Whimsy**


	5. Chapter IV: Why Couldn't it Have Been Me

**Finally got some sleep last night – Shuu-chan(I'll just be calling Tsukishima that since Tsukishima's a pain in the ass to type out x3) has been haunting my dreams the past two nights. I need the next chapter now, like SERIOUSLY. :/**

**Anyway~ On with the story!**

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><p>Her whole frame completely froze, knees locking, slightly bent, as if she were a picture taken mid-step. Her breath caught, and she could swear her heart stopped for a moment there. As the Hollow roared- she was sure at that noise that it was one- something in her released, and she almost pitched forwards when suddenly her locked knees weren't holding her up anymore. Catching herself before she fell, she looked in the direction the noise had come from- and something in her (certainly not her brain, which was telling her to run as fast as she could in the other direction) had her moving towards it. Her charm was still clenched in her fist, the warm, pulsating light acting to calm her frayed nerves, somehow.<p>

She rounded the next corner, spotting it. This one reminded her vaguely of a wolf- with a pointed snout, dripping fangs, and a mask that traveled from the tip of its nose up its face, curling around its yellow eyes and with two ear-like points at the back of its skull. It was massive- and had a small child pinned against a wall. She had a chain coming out of her chest, much like the other ghosts she remembered seeing back home. A Plus … Wasn't that what Hitsugaya had said they were called? Either way- it meant that this girl was dead- and that the Hollow was hungry. Her eyes widened, Hotaru licked her dry lips nervously. It hadn't noticed her yet, but loomed menacingly over the Plus, who was wailing and screaming in terror, thin arms thrown over her small head.

She _had _to do something …

"_No! Look out!"_ she cried, (stupidly) throwing herself in front of the Plus. The Hollow's paw slammed into her back- she could feel its claws rip into her skin. She gasped in pain, causing the little girl she was protecting to glance up, teary-eyed. "O-Onee-chan?" she whimpered, fear still making her eyes wide. Hotaru didn't respond, just pulled the Plus close, curling around her to protect her further. She heard the Hollow's claws rake the ground as it lifted a paw to attack again, and Hotaru flinched, bracing for impact. There was a sound of cutting- but Hotaru didn't feel its claws rake her back again. She peeked over her shoulder, but didn't see the Hollow looming behind her. Nor did her stomach knot in the feeling of dread that usually accompanied their presence. Was it gone …?

"Are you an idiot?" and angry voice snapped.

Oh. Great. She recognized that sharp, annoyed tone anywhere. She let go of the Plus, shifting so she could look at him. His sharp turquoise eyes narrowed as he stared at her, mouth in a thin line. "... Hitsugaya-san." was all she said, breaking eye contact as she made sure the little girl was okay. She was looking at Hitsugaya, fear still in her big brown eyes as she focused on the sword in his hand. Hotaru placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, and the Plus moved closer to Hotaru's side. "She was in trouble ..." Hotaru muttered, focusing on the top of the Plus's head as the little girl huddled to Hotaru's side.

"Talking now, I see?" Hitsugaya grunted, a hint of bitterness in his tone that Hotaru barely caught- but it was so small that she wrote it off as her imagination. He scoffed and came forward, holding his sword so that the hilt face Hotaru and the little girl. As he approached, the girl clung tighter to Hotaru's clothes, looking afraid. Hotaru knew she should comfort the girl- but a bitter lump in her chest wouldn't allow her to open her mouth and offer a kind word. This girl was rescued when her best- and, she was sure, only- friend and father died before her eyes. Eaten before her eyes. Those very eyes hardened, her mouth pursing into a thin line as Hitsugaya tapped the hilt of his sword against the girl's forehead. As the feeling of the girl's small hands pinching her skin as she clung to Hotaru's rumpled and torn uniform disappeared, while the girl herself faded into a soft blue light, floating into the sky and away. _So that's what it should have been like._ Hotaru thought bitterly, frowning. "... We should get those wounds looked at." Hitsugaya commented, making Hotaru, who had been lost in thought, jump. As soon as he spoke, she was reminded of the claw marks that grazed her back, and they began to sting painfully. The grey-haired girl grimaced, and attempted to stand. She got to her feet and stumbled, but before she fell back to the ground, strong arms caught her. She found herself inches away from Hitsugaya's face, those captivating teal eyes inches from her own. "You need help?" he asked, though she had a feeling it was more of a statement than a question. Without waiting for her reply, he shifted her so that her right arm draped about his shoulders. He placed his left arm behind her back to support her, careful not to touch her burning scars. It was almost …. Gentle, the way he made sure she had her footing before leading her along. It was so different from the way he normally acted- harsh, arrogant, and cold. Mismatched eyes focused on the ground, Hotaru felt the corners of her lips curve into a small smile. Maybe … she liked this gentler, hidden side of Hitsugaya.

She was brought to an apartment she didn't recognize- she assumed Hitsugaya was at least staying here, as he pushed open the door with barely a knock. "Inoue, are you here?" he called, and a buxom (though not near so much as Matsumoto) girl with orange hair came trotting from a room deeper in the apartment. "Toshiro-kun? What is- Oh!" she halted when she saw Hotaru with her bloodied back, now leaning (begrudgingly) heavily on Hitsugaya's shoulder, half-lidded eyes somewhat unfocused. She thought she almost recognized this Inoue girl from class, but her foggy mind couldn't tell. She could hear the girl and Hitsugaya exchange words, but she couldn't focus enough to comprehend them. She felt herself being led to the couch, gently guided to lay on her stomach. More muffled voices, the muffled sounds of footsteps … and then, she let her heavy eyelids shut, and she felt herself drift away into unconscious relief from her searing back.

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><p>Her lashes fluttered when she finally came to, stretching her arms as she brought herself to a sitting position. Her hair was fluffed out everywhere, giving her the appearance of a silver-maned lion. Hitsugaya smirked at her appearance, from where he sat in an armchair nearby. "Finally awake, I see." he commented, making her jump. She turned to look at him, blinking. He stared at her, brow furrowed. Why did he feel so … relieved? It wasn't like he hadn't already known she'd be fine- it <em>had <em>been Inoue that healed her after all. There had been no doubt. He just knew that the restless feeling that had settled into him as soon as she began to sag against him on the walk here disappeared as soon as she had opened her eyes and sat up, perfectly fine. He frowned. She was trying to brush her unruly grey hair with her fingers, trying to tame it away from her face. He found himself watching her- trying to see if there was anything wrong with her movements that might hint that she was still hurt. But … why did he care?

"...What?" she said suddenly, and he realized that, while he'd been so deep in thought he'd been unconsciously scowling at her.

"Nothing." he grunted, tearing his eyes away from her. He felt her staring at him, but she looked away when he glanced up at her. "I'll tell Inoue that you're awake." he said suddenly, standing and walking off. Hotaru blinked and watched him go, mismatched eyes staring until he disappeared down a hall she assumed led to the bedrooms of this apartment. Then, the realization hit her. She looked over at her shoulder- her clothes weren't even torn anymore. What? She blinked in confusion, trying to twist so she could get a better look.

"Yukimura-chan~ You're awake!" Hotaru hardly heard Matsumoto's shout before she was greeted by the woman's large breasts in her face. She let out a muffled string of words, trying to shove the taller woman off of her. Getting the hint for once, Matsumoto released her, hand still on Hotaru's narrow shoulders as she looked her up and down. "You're alright, then! What a relief~ Even Taicho was moody because-" she stopped as the boy in question cleared his throat as he returned, the girl from earlier- Inoue- in tow.

"Yukimura-san, right? I'm so glad you're okay!" Inoue said, smiling and looking relieved. "When Toshiro-kun brought you here injured like that I was so worried!" she went on, laughing good-naturedly as she chattered. Hotaru managed a slight smile, feeling somewhat uncomfortable as Matsumoto and now Inoue fretted over her. She could feel Hitsugaya staring at her, but whenever she glanced in his direction he would pretend to be looking at something else. This went on for a while, Matsumoto and Inoue making sure she was okay, and Hitsugaya sneaking glances at her, looking more and more annoyed as time went on. Suddenly, Orihime plopped her left fist into her right palm, apparently realizing something.

"Ah! You must be hungry, ne, Yukimura-san?" she said, hen grinned. "I'll go make some dinner!" Matsumoto quickly offered to help and went after her, leaving Hotaru alone with a frustrated looking Hitsugaya. She glanced at him- it looked as if he wanted to say something, but anytime it seemed as if he were going to his scowl deepened and he seemed to change his mind. Hotaru sighed, shifting so she could lean against the back of the couch with her knees drawn up to her chest, waiting for him to speak.

"Are you an idiot?" he said, much like he had when he first found her. She made an irritated face and opened her mouth to respond when he continued. "You could have been _killed._ You just got the charm that would keep the Hollow off your back, and you go _looking _for trouble." He gave an irritated sigh. "Honestly. Do you ever think about what you're doing at all?" he asked, though it was mostly muttered under his breath. He met her eyes for the first time during his little rant, and she thought she noticed concern in them before it was quickly covered up by annoyance. "You're feeling better?" he asked, his scowl softening just a fraction- almost too slight to be noticed, and she probably would have missed if she weren't currently caught by those eyes of his. He didn't say anything else, only stared at her- Hotaru took that as a cue that she was allowed to speak now.

"Yeah … How did … ?" she responded, looking over her shoulder again- it still looked as if the injury had never even happened.

"Inoue. She has really good healing capabilities. That's why I brought you here." he explained, running a tanned hand through his spiked white hair. Hotaru nodded- that made some sense. She sat back, rubbing the back of her neck and finally managing to break eye contact with him. It was strange … she hardly ever made eye contact with anyone- but he managed to catch her every time he looked at her with those aquamarine eyes of his. She hated making eye contact- everyone always looked at her odd, mismatched eyes. Questioned them. It was … awkward. She wondered if the same happened to Hitsugaya with his sharp eyes of teal … She doubted it. He always seemed to confident.

"... Sorry. I just … didn't want her to end up like Ayano and Otou-san … It would have …" she gulped. "Eaten her, right?" her voice sounded strained to her ears. She peeked at Hitsugaya, and found that as she finished speaking his scowl had softened slightly. Instead of anger in those clear optics, there was … pity, almost. He gazed at her with that half-pitying look for a moment more before he sighed.

"Don't worry about it." he grunted, looking away. He paused for a moment before he continued. "So that's what happened? Why you were so upset at lunch …" he asked, his voice softer than it had been before, both in volume and nature. She looked at him in surprise, but he was looking away, she couldn't see his eyes.

"... Yeah." she said after a moment, her voice quiet and weak sounding. She didn't want to think about this. Didn't want to talk about it. But she knew she probably wouldn't escape. She hid her face with her thick hair, making a grey curtain in front of her eyes. She knew they were going to tear up again- and she refused to cry in front of Hitsugaya again. Her hands, on the sofa next to her thighs, clenched halfway, as she tried to fight against the tears and fight back the pain that came whenever she thought about the two people that had been the most precious to her. Hitsugaya was silent, but she was glad for it. She didn't dare sneak a peek at him now. Somehow, she got the feeling that he was waiting for her to continue. "I … Ayano and I were walking home … When one of the Hollow appeared. She couldn't see it, but I could." she murmured, talking into her lap, eyes squeezed tight against the tears that threatened to fall. "It attacked me, but … Ayano pushed me when I panicked. It got her …" she trailed off, a shudder making her whole body quake. "She could see it then, but …" she stopped, unable to say more, but she had a feeling he'd understand what she meant.

"... I see." Hitsugaya said after a long pause, all the anger from before gone from his voice. She hadn't heard him approach, but she suddenly felt his hand on the top of her head. "It must have been hard …' he whispered. Hotaru got the feeling he wasn't very good at comforting people- she sensed a sort of awkwardness behind the way he spoke. He sat next to her, his gentle hand moving to her shoulder, gently patting her shoulder blade. Suddenly, she shuddered again and threw herself into him, burying her face in his chest, unable to hide the tears anymore. What was it with Hitsugaya that she couldn't keep up her emotionless facade around him? Even the weakly awkward attempt at comfort he gave was enough to shatter her defenses. He stiffened as she suddenly clung to him, but slowly let his arm drape gently around her, not quite a hug but simply as comforting a gesture as he could muster.

"A-and then … Otou-san … I g-got home on the last day before we w-were gonna move. The same Hollow … i-it was at my house … I-it got him too ..." she got out between choked sobs. "Why? Wh-why was it innocent people … I-it was after _me _wasn't it? Why were they the ones to _die_?" her voice suddenly rose, one of her fists pounding his chest in frustration. He gave a slight flinch as she hit him, but said nothing. He heard Matsumoto and Inoue at the doorway to the kitchen- he glanced over his shoulder at them and gave the slightest shake of his head- _Don't come in here just yet. _Matsumoto at least seemed to catch on, and tugged Inoue back into the kitchen. He turned back to the crying Hotaru, gently patting her thick grey locks.

"You shouldn't say such things, when they were protecting you." he said, his voice oddly husky. He didn't like the way she was talking- it made something inside him twist painfully.

"B-but I-" she started, but he cut her off, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her away from him, so he could look her in the face.

"Shut _up._" he snapped, eyes narrowing. She stared at him, her odd eyes wide and still damp with unshed tears. "I told you not to talk that way. Is that what they would have wanted?" he growled. He didn't know why he was so angry. All he knew was that he wanted it to stop. If she kept talking this way …

"But ...But its true, isn't it? Th-that it was after _me_ … So shouldn't it have been _me _that g-got _killed _and _eaten_? Ayano and Otou-san didn't-" she stopped and flinched when suddenly Hitsugaya's fist pounded the back of the couch. It was a dulled thudding noise, but its volume as still relatively high, suggesting a lot of force behind it. His head was angled so that she couldn't see his eyes, but could see his gritted teeth.

"_Stop it._" his voice was quiet and harsh with an emotion she couldn't quite pinpoint. Anger, and something else … "Just shut up. Stop talking like that." he said in the same tone. He wished she'd go back to hating _him _and the Shinigami for failing to save her friend and father. Anything but hearing her talk like this. Anything but hearing her blame herself … Anything but hearing her wish it had been her instead. With relief, he realized that she had stopped talking, and was silent. He didn't look up at her until he felt her hands gently rest on the had that was still gripping her shoulder. When he did, she had and apologetic, sad expression.

"Sorry … You're right." she murmured, offering an attempted smile. "I …. I should get home." she went on, gently prying his hand away from her narrow shoulder, and laying it in his lap, where it remained, limp. Then, she stood, dusting herself off. "Thanks for helping me … Tell Inoue-san I appreciate the hospitality." she murmured with a slight bow before she took off. He watched her go, then dropped his gaze to the hand in his lap. His other hand was still clenched, still pressed into the couch.

_Why did that bother me so much … ?_

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><p><strong>Okay, I hope you guys liked that chapter!<strong>

**Please tell me in a review if you think I'm portraying any characters wrong 3 Suggestions are always appreciated!**

**Thanks again to redsnow4, who's reviewed every chapter so far! You really make me feel good about my writing!**

**Alright, until next time!**

**-Whimsy**


	6. Chapter V:  I Like Them

**I realized last night that I've been neglecting to put disclaimers in my stories. 3; Anyways:**

**I DO NOT OWN BLEACH. If I did, this would obviously be part of the manga, and it would not say "****Those Eyes**** – a Bleach **_**fan**_**fiction" up at the top there.**

**Also, as you can see, the title's changed- the story took a different turn than I thought it would, so the old title didn't really fit anymore. Please still enjoy this story, even under a new name!**

**Alright, on with the story!**

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><p>Hotaru didn't show up to school the next day, or the day after that. It was the third day after that incident at Inoue's apartment that she finally showed back up. Hitsugaya looked up and felt himself staring as she came and sat in her seat next to him- she looked worn out, mismatched eyes soft rather than the familiar, sharp gaze that usually lit within them. She looked pale, making the exhausted bags under her eyes stand out even further. Her grey hair was tied in a messy high ponytail, looking as if she had done it at the last minute, instead of taking the (probably extremely long) amount of time to attempt to brush the unruly mane. "Morning." he greeted, chin resting in his hand. She glanced at him- and emotion he didn't catch flashing across her features before her face returned to its placid expression. She didn't respond, but looked away and sat down, staring gloomily ahead. He watched her, brow furrowing. "... You alright?" he asked, but she didn't glance at him again, only gave a slow nod. He frowned- the nod almost seemed more a question than a definite answer. An "I think so … ?" versus a "Yes."<p>

Before he could press further, the teacher called for attention, and he told himself to grab her before she left the room for lunch. Despite himself, he felt worried. Where had she been … ?

When the lunch bell finally rang, he let out a long sigh. Well, that had been a pretty much wasted morning- he'd hardly been able to concentrate at all. He'd been distracted by that empty look in Hotaru's typically fiery eyes. Before she stood, he turned to her, trying not to look at worried as he felt. His expression ended up being an almost forced-looking scowl, though Hotaru didn't seem to notice. "Hey. Joining us for lunch?" he asked, his voice sounding odd to his ears as he tried to disguise the worry that ate at him. She glanced up at him, the distant, shallow look in her eyes sending another pang through him.

"... No thanks." she murmured, standing and leaving the room. He stared after her, then sighed, standing himself. "Lets go, Matsumoto." he commented, not waiting to see if his lieutenant followed him out of the room. When he left the classroom, Hotaru was nowhere in sight- he sighed and started walking towards the roof, where he and Matsumoto usually went.

"Taichoo!" he could hear his unnecessarily loud lieutenant behind him, but he didn't stop or turn to look at her. "Taiichoo! Wait up!" she whined, and suddenly he pitched forward, her breasts crushing into the back of his head as her arms wrapped around him. "Why are you ignoring me?" she complained, leaning over his head to look at his face- annoyed, though it wasn't like that was anything new. "What were you thinking about, Taicho?" she asked suddenly, apparently noticing something strange about his typically annoyed expression.

Releasing himself from her death-hug, he scoffed. "Its nothing. Lets just go." he grunted before he started walking again. The buxom lieutenant stared after him for a moment, brow creased, before she sighed and followed, deciding to push him for the information when they got to the rooftop. He somehow seemed much grumpier than normal, which meant that _some_thing was on his mind …

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><p>She wasn't hungry. She had hardly eaten at breakfast, either, only downing a bowl of cereal to quell her family's worries. As she wandered aimlessly, she nibbled slowly on the rice from the bento in her hand, hardly tasting it. Hotaru had pretended to be sick at home the past two days, still a little embarrassed to face Hitsugaya after her <em>second <em>breakdown in front of him. What exactly was up with him, that the defenses she worked so hard to keep up crumbled as soon as he fixed his teal gaze upon her?

"Hey, you're Yukimura, aren't you?" an unfamiliar girl's voice came from behind her. She turned, slowly coming face-to-face with a group of three irritated looking girls.

"Yeah, and?" she responded, cocking a grey eyebrow. They were all rather average- black hair and dark brown eyes. Normal. _How lucky. _Hotaru thought bitterly, scowling slightly. The middle girl- Hotaru assumed she was the leader- had pin-straight had that went down to the middle of her back, hands on her narrow hips. She'd have been rather pretty, had it not been for the hateful scowl on her face. Her posse had the same look- the one on the right slightly pudgy with short, curly hair, the one on the left was almost unnaturally thin, her shoulder-length hair somewhat wavy and tied in a side ponytail.

The leader seemed to be angered at her response. "You've been hanging around with Hitsugaya-sama, right?" she growled. "Way too much, in our opinion."

Hotaru almost laughed. _'Hitsugaya-_sama_? Did she seriously just say that?_ Hotaru snorted. "Who are you guys, anyway?" she said, planting a hand on her hip. She wasn't in the mood for these idiots.

"His fanclub! We aren't going to stand around and let you take him for yourself!" pudgy exclaimed, her fists clenched. Hotaru gave them a blank look and scoffed, rolling her eyes as she turned to walk away. No way was she gonna deal with this today. "How- How _dare _you, you brat?" ponytail growled then, grabbing Hotaru's arm. Ponytail had an unusually strong grip for such a thin girl. Hotaru's eyes narrowed as the other two closed in as well.

"Who do you think you are?" the leader said, right in Hotaru's face. Hotaru didn't respond, but merely met her gaze with a dark stare of her own. "You must think you're _so _great, huh? Hanging around with Hitsugaya-sama all the time after school!" Hotaru still remained silent, calm even as ponytail and pudgy pushed her against a wall. "News flash, you stupid girl. You aren't near so great as you think! You're just a freak. I wouldn't be surprised if Hitsugaya-sama was only pitying you." she went on. At the word 'freak,' Hotaru flinched- and all three smirked. They'd found it- her weak point.

"I mean _really_. You're just a creepy girl with creepy eyes." one of them jeered. Her eyes- that was where she flinched more. "What, embarrassed of those freaky eyes of yours? You should be, you stupid girl." They continued, pulling at her face and poking near her mismatched eyes, jeering insults. Her jaw clenched. _Go away. Leave me alone. _The silent protests resounded in her head, but remained unspoken.

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><p>"... Come on, Taicho! Tell me! Is it Yukimura-chan? Did something happen yesterday? Taicho!" Matsumoto continued, her voice grating on his nerves. It had been like this since lunch started- her continuous pestering, over and over again, pounding into his ears no matter how hard he tried to tune her out. Suddenly, he stood from where they sat on the roof, shoving his hands in his pockets.<p>

"I'm going for a walk." and then he left, leaving his complaining lieutenant behind. He walked aimlessly through the school's hallways, scowling ahead of him. As he nearly rounded a rather empty hall, he paused after hearing voices. _There isn't typically anyone here … _He thought, the situation even more suspicious with the hostility coloring the voices he heard.

"Why're your eyes so weird, freak?"

"C'mon, ain't you gonna say anything?"

"Pf, look at her stupid scowl!"

His eyes narrowed and he peered around the corner, expression darkening when he saw three girls surrounding a disgruntled looking Hotaru. "Oi. What do you three think you're doing?" he said, his voice loud and sharp- his 'Captian voice.' The three girls jumped- Matsumoto had always complained that it scared people, after all.

"Hitsugaya-sama!" exclaimed the one with long straight hair. _Hitsugaya-_sama? _Who are these girls?_He thought with a raise of his eyebrows. "We- We were just ..." she seemed to fish desperately for an explanation, mouth moving wordlessly like a beached fish gasping for air.

"It _looked _like you were picking on Yukimura." he said, his voice still sharp. They had backed off from the grey-haired girl, and he made it a point to step in between them. The three girls in front of him blustered, apparently unable to find a good enough excuse. Well, his glare probably didn't help their case any. Finally, they seemed to blush and the three of them took off. Watching them until they disappeared, he turned to Hotaru. She had her eyes trained on the ground, hair curtaining her face. "Oi … Yukimura, are you alright?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

She didn't glance up, but seemed to try to hide further behind her thick hair. "... You're always saving me. Even now … You didn't have to." she murmured. He couldn't pick out the emotions hidden in her voice, it was either too soft or she was disguising them. "You could have let this one be …"

"I didn't want to." he answered, sighing as he turned away from her.

She was silent after that- as if thinking about his answer. Then she spoke up again. "... Why? What they said was true. My eyes are strange, aren't they … ? I'm weird-looking …" she murmured, her voice trembling, but she didn't stutter. He scowled, though he knew she couldn't see.

"I don't think so." he said. He heard a sharp intake of breath and felt her eyes on his back as she looked up at him in slight surprise, but he ignored it. "You should be proud of your eyes … They're unique." he said, struggling to find the right words. Why did he care to comfort her so much? What did he care if she had a complex over her eyes? It wasn't his problem … And yet, he wanted to fix it. "Unique isn't bad, is it?" he went on, scowling as he couldn't find words that got his point across. He paused for a moment, sighing slightly. "I … like them. Those eyes … They're a part of who you are, aren't they, Yukimura?" he finally finished, glad the hallways was deserted and that his back was facing her. His face felt slightly heated. Lately, he didn't know what he was doing or feeling half the time. He didn't know why he even cared about this girl. She was … Just a girl, right? Right?

"You … like them?" she asked. He gave a quick nod, not trusting himself to speak for fear he started rambling strange things off again. He did in fact like those mismatched eyes of hers- they were almost mesmerizing. Pure gold, and fiery crimson. On those rare instances when she actually made eye contact with him, he felt himself pulled into that multicolored sea. As much as she made herself out to be emotionless, her eyes gave away so much of how she was feeling. He could hear her sniffling behind him, and he turned, surprised.

"Oi … What're you crying for?" he said, his voice sharper than he'd intended. She wiped at her eyes, seemingly irritated at herself.

"I-I … It's just … No one's ever said that before." she mumbled, hiccuping. He sighed, walking closer and placing a comforting hand on her head. She looked up at him, no longer crying but with her eyes still moist. "You really mean it?" she asked, her brow furrowed. Her expression seemed to, beneath the surface, beg him to say yes- to affirm that what he'd said had been true. There was too much hope in those odd eyes- even if it had been a lie (which it wasn't) he doubted he'd be able tot ell her otherwise.

"I don't lie." was all he said, but it seemed to be enough. She smiled- the first time he'd seen her do so. He blinked, wide-eyed at that expression, unsure of how to react. For the first time since he had met her, she looked … happy. The surprising genuineness of it took hum by surprise, but slowly, he felt the corners of his mouth tug slightly upwards. Tears still making her eyes glitter, she looked up at him with that same smile of hers.

"... Thank you."

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><p><strong>Whaa, that ended up being a lot more emotional-y than I thought xD;<strong>

**I REALLY hope I'm not being too OOC with Hitsugaya especially. A**

**Special thanks to my reviewers!**

**Redsnow4: I'm glad you're enjoying it! When I'm writing it, I actually sit here imagining it in my head, so I'm glad it translated well!**

**LadyAmazon: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying the story.**

**Alright, see you guys next time!**

**-Whimsy**


	7. Chapter VI: A Day of Fun

**Welcome back, everyone! **

**I DO NOT OWN BLEACH. If I did, this would obviously be part of the manga, and it would not say "****Those Eyes**** – a Bleach **_**fan**_**fiction" up at the top there.**

**I know this took me way too long (and sucks too damn much) and I'm really sorry! I'll try not to lag this much in the future.**

**Anyway, please enjoy!**

It was after lunch, and things seemed to have settled down. Hotaru had gone mostly back to normal, but her eyes weren't as sharp as they used to be. But it wasn't the emptiness from before, it was … almost peaceful. Happy, even. Hitsugaya almost thought he liked that look in her eyes, even if her usual frown was in place on her face. He was having an easier time paying attention now, but it still wasn't very easy. It seemed like they were doing work over some math equation they'd learned that morning- the stuff he'd been too preoccupied to pay attention to. He scowled at the worksheet the teacher had handed out, as if it would then give him some answers.

A sharp prod in his arm attracted his attention, and he saw Hotaru shifting in her seat, without looking at him. He was pretty sure that she'd prodded him, but she didn't seem to be paying him any mind. Perhaps he'd been wrong? Frowning, he moved to go back to scowling at his work, but spotted a small folded square of paper on his desk- it certainly hadn't been there before. Picking it up, he glanced upwards to make sure he teacher was still on the other side of the room before opening it.

_Hitsugaya-san_

_There's an interesting cafe that I want to go to after school. You want to come with? Matsumoto-san is welcome as well. My treat. I feel bad for blowing you off so much lately._

_Yukimura Hotaru._

It was in neat, methodical handwriting, the same type of writing he could see on Hotaru's worksheet. She had her cheek resting in her hand as she worked, her head tilted towards him just slightly. Her eyes were focused on the worksheet, a frown of concentration tilting the sides of her mouth downward. Then, her mismatched eyes flickered up to him, as if trying to see if he had read the note. He gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. She seemed to pick up on it, for her eyes glittered in a smile-less grin, though her lips curled slightly out of her deep frown. Still a frown, but less so- she seemed pleased. Then, as if the exchange hadn't occurred, her eyes refocused on the work in front of her, her pen resuming its methodical rhythm. He assumed Matsumoto would want to come- she never turned down a free meal.

He felt Hotaru's gaze on him and glanced at her. She nodded her head at his – currently still blank – worksheet. Questioning the fact that he hadn't even started. He shrugged slightly, and she gave him an odd glance, but then bent over her desk and resumed writing. He sighed and was about to turn away when he noticed her tilt her paper, something new scrawled at the top. A formula, with different parts labeled and an arrow that said "Use this formula, it should help." He nodded slightly again, showing thanks, but she seemed to pretend to ignore him. Though, he could swear he saw the corner of her mouth tilt up in a smirk.

The ending bell finally rang, and Hotaru stretched her arms above her head, letting out a sigh of relief. So much had happened today … She stole a quick glance at Hitsugaya while he was still packing up and quickly glanced away. No one had ever said they liked her eyes before. Most people either made fun of them or looked at them strangely … Now that she thought about it, Hitsugaya had never done either. He'd never made so much as a mention of whether he'd even noticed them until he'd said he liked them. Maybe that was why she felt relaxed around him- and why her defenses fell so easily when he offered a comforting shoulder to cry on.

"Oi, don't go spacing out when you invited us." Hitsugaya's voice broke her out of her reverie, and she jumped. He smirked slightly, snorting. "You zone out too much." he complained lightly, folding his arms across his chest. Hotaru frowned, scowling.

"I'm almost ready! Is Matsumoto-san coming?" she asked, glancing up at him as she dumped her pens and notebooks into her bag.

"Coming where?" the buxom woman asked, appearing as if on cue.

"To this cafe Yukimura invited us to." Hitsugaya said, hardly seeming fazed by Matsumoto's sudden appearance. _Maybe he does it so much himself it doesn't affect _him _anymore. _Hotaru thought as she raised and eyebrow. Matsumoto blinked, looking between Hitsugaya and Hotaru, finally staring at Hitsugaya for a long moment before giving a catlike smirk and shaking her head.

"Naah, I have something else to do today! Later, Yukimura-chan, Taicho!" she chirruped and took off, giggling to herself. Hitsugaya stared after her, confusion evident on his face. Then he shrugged, donning his usual scowl.

"Are you ready yet?" he asked, and Hotaru nodded. He let her lead the way, stuffing his hands in his pockets. Hotaru really seemed to be feeling better. She seemed brighter somehow. "So what kind of place is this, exactly?" he asked as they walked. Hotaru looked over her shoulder at him, pausing a moment to fall into step with him.

"Well, its just a family-owned cafe my cousin works at. The pastries and coffee are really good, but its small so it doesn't get super crowded unless they have a sale." she explained, nodding to herself. She glanced at him, a curious look in her eyes. "You don't have to come if you don't want to." she added, tilting her head to the side. He shook his head, looking at her.

"Its fine, I wouldn't have agreed to come if I didn't want to go." he rolled his eyes. "Could it be you don't want me here?" he teased, smirking down at her.

She looked frustrated. "N-no, it isn't like-" she stopped short, catching the way he smirked at her. "D-don't tease me!" she protested, her cheeks gaining a rose-pink hue as she scowled, folding her arms across her chest. "Oh! Here it is." she said, suddenly pulling to a halt. "It doesn't look like much, but the food is really good." she promised, glancing back at him.

She was right, it didn't _look _like anything at all. It was a rather shoddy little place, with more than one of the letters that spelled out "Himeboshi's" were either extremely faded or nearly falling off the sign. There wasn't even a door- just a colorful sheet that hung in front of the doorway. What it looked like to Hitsugaya was an _abandoned _cafe, but he didn't have much time to voice that opinion, as Hotaru was already heading into the cafe, pushing the curtain aside. Hitsugaya followed after, peering around the cafe and raising an eyebrow. The inside looked much better than the outside- with tables and booths lining the walls, the tables silver and, albeit a bit scratched up, looked clean. The booth benches looks relatively new, with those puffy red seats that seem to suck you right in. The chairs at the stand-alone tables in the center of the floor had the same cushions. There weren't many people there, but the ones that were looked relatively happy to be there.

"Welco- Ah! Chibi-chan, you came for a visit again?" came a rather loud male's voice. Suddenly Hotaru wasn't standing next to him anymore, but was scooped up into the arms of some … Guy. He was tall, with tanned skin and sloppy brown hair- messy in the same way Hotaru's was, almost. Hitsugaya found himself seeing it in a worse light on this guy as he dragged the grey-haired girl into a hug and lifted her off her feet. He paused then, apparently finally noticing Hitsugaya. "Oh! Who's this, Chibi-chan? A special friend? Chibi-_kun_?" he laughed, setting a disgruntled-looking Hotaru down on the ground.

"Jeez, Akio-kun! Hitsugaya-san's just a friend! Don't assume weird things." she grumbled, her pale face flushing slightly. The small girl planted her hands on her hips, scowling up at who Hitsugaya assumed was the cousin she'd mentioned earlier. "Can't you just get us a table without teasing me?" she questioned with a sigh. Her cousin gave a good-natured laugh.

"Sure, sure! Just the two of you, huh?" he went on, smiling at them before grabbing a few menus and leading them to one of the island tables in the center of the floor. Setting down the menus, he flashed them a grin. "Just look it over and our waitress Rio-chan should be with you in a minute!" he said as he ruffled Hotaru's hair and sauntered off to go stand near the door again. Hotaru picked up the menu with a sigh. Hitsugaya peered through the menu, glancing around at the pictures that adorned the menu. Then, Hotaru's pale hand pointed out something on his menu as she stood from her chair, peering over his menu to show him something.

"The natto is my favorite. Takeda-san, the owner, makes some of the best in town." she said, her lips curving into the slightest grin. Hitsugaya grumbled something under his breath, but nodded, shutting the menu and resting his chin in his hand.

"Can I get you two something to drink?" came a soft voice that was almost accented. Hitsugaya glanced up to see a girl with an olive complexion, with dark brown hair that was almost black all brushed to one side, tied in a loose braid with a deep green ribbon. She had kind olive eyes that crinkled as she smiled down at them.

"... Coffee." he grunted, looking away. The girl- Rio, he assumed, didn't seem fazed and turned to Hotaru. "Hotaru-chan, you want coffee too, right?" the grey-haired girl nodded.

"Hitsugaya-san, are you ready to order yet?" Hotaru then asked, and he gave a short nod, focusing on the girl with her mismatched eyes. She blinked at him for a moment before turning back to the waitress. "I'll have the natto, please." she said, holding out her menu while glancing at Hitsugaya. Sighing, he picked up the menu and held it out to the waitress.

"Same." he said, and the waitress nodded, promising to have the food out as soon as possible before going off towards the kitchen.

"Its a good place, right?" Hotaru said, leaning back in her chair with her hands in her lap. Hitsugaya looked up at her and only shrugged. It wasn't like he went out to these places very often- he wouldn't be the right one to judge. "Its a little run-down and quaint, but the staff are really nice … I found it by accident one night after I came here." she went on, looking around the cafe with a fond expression that he didn't recall seeing on her face before.

"You should be careful going out at night. Urahara-jii-san did give you that charm, but Hollow are more active at night, and if its desperate enough one can attack people with seemingly low reiatsu." he grumbled, running a hand through his hair. Hotaru made a face at him, pale hand automatically finding the charm and rolling it between her pointer finger and thumb as she glanced down at it.

"I'll be fine." she promised, frowning slightly. Then, she looked up, as the girl from before brought their food. "Ah, great, the food's here!" she said cheerfully. They were silent for the rest of the meal, and Hitsugaya had to admit- the natto was pretty good. Not as good as his grandmother's, but decent. Enough to satisfy him when he was here in the World of the Living.

They left the shop a while later, Hotaru waving her goodbyes to the waitress Rio and her cousin. "See you at home later, Akio-kun." she said with a wave as she followed Hitsugaya out the door- er, curtain.

They walked in comfortable silence, falling into step with one another as they moved down the street. Suddenly, Hotaru sighed. He gave her a sidelong glance as she spoke. "Sorry about how I've been acting lately … You and Matsumoto-san were only trying to help, and yet I ..." she trailed off. He got the feeling she was pretty bad at apologies- or, really, it was likely socializing in general. She had a cold, confident outer shell, but underneath she was shier. Almost more …. fragile. Like a gust of wind from the wrong direction could make her shatter.

"Don't worry about it." he grunted, looking away. From the corner of his eye he saw her glance at him in surprise, and he rolled his eyes. "Its understandable." he sighed himself, glancing back at her. She blinked slightly, then looked relieved.

"Still, though-" she started in again, a frown tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Don't worry about it." he repeated, cutting her off. She frowned at him, her thin grey brows furrowing above her nose. Then she sighed again, giving the slightest of smiles.

"Fine, fine. There something you want to do? Since I picked that." she said, gesturing back towards the cafe behind them. He shrugged, but kept walking, figuring she'd follow anyway.

**Again, sorry that took so long! Thanks as always to my reviewers!**

**Narutofreak10: Wow, thanks! I was worried I was OOC with Hitsu, I appreciate the compliment ;3 **

**LadyAmazon: Hell yeah take that Hinamori! **

**HoPe290: Thanks! Yeah, he is a little idiot soometimes, isn't he ;D She'll buck up soon, maybe with Hitsu's help (somehow)!**

**Redsnow4: Haha, it makes it a lot easier in my opinion ;3 But yeah. I just HAD to include the fanclub, of course! (he has to have one somewhere, even canonically.) **

**You reviewers are what keeps these updates coming! I really appreciate all the support!**

**You guys rock!**

**-Whimsy**


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